Diamonds dominate third Test to win England series
With their shooters leading the charge, the Diamonds maintained their dominance over England by wrapping up their netball Test series with a thumping 69-56 victory in game three.
The world champion Australians were staring down the barrel of their first series loss to the Red Roses following a shock 61-59 defeat in game two.
But the Diamonds turned up the heat in front of a sell-out crowd in Bendigo to keep their unbeaten record intact.
Sophie Garbin finished with a game-high 43 goals from 47 attempts to steer the home side to the convincing victory.
Returning defender Jamie-Lee Price also put her physical stamp on the game.
Following a 13-goal win in the first Test in Adelaide, Price was left out of the second match in Sydney with coach Stacey Marinkovich starting with Amy Parmenter at wing defence.
But with the series on the line, she recalled the 28-year-old who unsettled England through the midcourt.
After a seven-goal run for Australia to take a 23-14 lead early in the second quarter, England coach Jess Thirlby replaced wing attack Lois Pearson with debutante Jess Shaw.
The youngster showed no fear taking on Price, with the pair getting into a tangle and the Australian receiving an official warning from the umpire for her actions.
A second offence meant Price could have been sent to the sidelines for two minutes, but she managed to avoid that penalty.
While the tourists rallied late in the second quarter, the Diamonds hung on to a 30-24 halftime lead.
Garbin was unstoppable after the break, slotting 14 goals from 14 attempts to ensure her team won their first third quarter of the series to take a commanding 50-42 lead.
Her star shooting partner Kiera Austin was also a handful both in attack and defence, finishing with 24 goals and two intercepts and was named player of the match as well as player of the series.
But well aware of England’s late charge in Sydney, when they outscored the home side by four goals in the final term to take the win, the Australians kept the pressure on.
While England’s shooter Liv Tchine missed only one goal from 40 attempts through the match, they weren’t able to close the margin with the Diamonds cruising home.
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